Unusual Winds

There has been so much turmoil with the weather, that one doesn't know what to expect anymore, without a moment's notice.

While getting ready to go out and do some yard work after a hard rain, suddenly the wind roared straight out of the Southeast, not a normal happening. Usually the wind comes out of the west or the northwest.

What in the world....my flag is down,
Before it was over, Old Glory was regrettably on the ground. This weather change happened soooo fast.
The GrandLove's swing was flying high, see that bit of blue...up high in front of the tree...click on any picture for a closer look at our day.'
Hang on trees, this could get bad...
No way, ... now the lean-to that houses the boat is gone to the ground...

It's a good thing our son Stac, wanted to borrow it and go fishing the night before...so it was at his place and spared getting smashed...
There's the roof on the left, and the wall on the right...I see a project with that blown down lumber~~~maybe I'll get my greenhouse yet...that is, if I make it. There's gotta be a ' positive ' in this somewhere.
Look at that, the old wagon wheels are still hanging on the nails!

The support poles for the lean-to were sucked straight up and out of the ground, even with the saturated ground...that's water that's half way up in the hole.My first thought was, awww, the antique birdhouse that my neighbor's dad built nearly 50 yrs. ago must have been ' totaled. ', but no, it landed flat on it's bottom and slid about 5 ft. It only lost one shingle off the back during the slide. It's lays in the middle of the picture.
Another birdhouse is down but flattened on one side, it looks like. That big pole it's screwed to is one of the lean-to poles. It's weathered but still solid.
We lost plenty of trees in our woods on the cabin property. Just from the road, I counted 17, with 7 hemlock and maple that landed across the road.
Some were uprooted,
some twisted and snapped,
some still dangerously hung up, and some widow-makers, that will have to be chained before cutting and then pulled away with the tractor. Dangerous work. A widow-maker is a tree that is broken high and hanging up. When they are cut, there is no predicting just where it will come down. A widow-maker killed one of my cousins, thus making his wife a widow.
The road was finally made passable, one lane.
We had enough damage to last awhile, and are not looking forward to the rest of the week that is promising more serious storms. I can only imagine what the southern part of the country is feeling. My heart goes out to them all for safe havens.

Thanks for stopping. Stay safe and

BlessYourHearts

Truckin' With My Baby

Saddle Brown is my color. I aim to please, and please, I have done.

My new owners are proud to drive this Ram 1500 Big Horn. Anyone interested in a new set of wheels, or used, call Dale at Bothun Automotive in Eau Claire, Wi. Tell him Dar sent you. He did a great job for us and will for you too.

We spent the weekend on the road and got Bugged to Death....need I say more. Big Bill cannot have bugs on his new baby.
We spent the night at my daughters, the one that got kicked around by one of the horses she boards. Thanks for all the prayers for her. She is doing fine after Epson Salt baths for the bruising, a CT scan for peace of mind where they found the horse hoof had pushed the cartilage from her bottom ribs. She has a guardian Angel, for all the rainbow marks on her body.
The horse on the far right is the one that caught her in the lower back, hip, ribs as his hoof slid down her side. The other foot nailed her in the back of the knee. Thank God she was not injured more. She is back to doing chores and even photographed a horse show a few days later. She's my little trooper!
On our road trip, we saw some cool churches. I've always loved taking pictures of churches and barns...is there a correlation there? Hm, after all, Jesus was born in a stable/barn, wasn't He!
The Forsythia in my son's yard was gorgeous. It screams spring!
He and our GrandLove Josh, were busy laying a new deck after water damage in their basement and family room. It's looking great.
Taking an alternate route home, we stopped at the Morning Glory Nursery near Athens, WI. for some apple trees. My, what nice trees and a beautiful nursery, soooo, if you are in the area, stop and visit. You will not go home empty-handed. Prices are amazing.
We spent an entire day at this project. Not because it requires all day to plant two trees, but because of a major blunder in the process.
You see, as I was pulling the slack out of the water hose, I had inadvertently pulled the entire water pipe out of the wall of the house.

Bill and I both went running, (neither of us are track stars), to the basement to turn off the water that was spraying out every which direction. It took another hour to run to town for replacement parts and redo what I had undone. By that time it was time for lunch and a beer. Remember now, Bill doesn't drink beer anymore, and my belly rejects it, but this time, we drank the last two left behind out of our son's stash. I'll have to thank him.

The trees were finally planted, the yard cleaned up, deer-deterent fences and mulch in place, and all is forgiven.

Now, let's hope I don't back into anything with his new truck. I tried to convince him that we should have had that feature added to the truck that included the Garmin and the Back-up screen, especially now that I cannot turn my head. Hmmm

Thanks for stopping by and listening to this dribble. Ya'll come back.

BlessYourHearts

Oh Deer, Oh Deer

Exactly at noon, the deer came out of the woods all in a row, the little ones, kicking up their heels in the rain. They were startled for a second when GrandLove, Ben, knocked on the window. They continued to graze for nearly an hour, with Ben's nose pressed against the window, wanting to go out to pet them. Bellies full of fresh green sprouts and they were off to the safety of the woods once again. Poor Ben. He asked if they were aggravated with him. Of course not. They were just ready for a nap after their lunch as I asked if he was. I told him that they would be back. No nap today as our busy GrandLove ran circles around me.
Just around 6 p.m. was supper time, and here they all came. They took a stroll after their lunch, across the field to the northeast, circling to the south, crossing the highway. We knew this because they all came back to the green grass of the lawn from the neighbor's field to the south of us, crossing the front lawn to the back. They certainly have ravenous appetites, it seems. Another hour later, and they still were grazing, just barely able to see them. I'm sure glad I didn't get any tender plants in yesterdays ground. They would have certainly had a picnic on strawberries and apple branches.

I sure wish I had been sitting on the deck tonight to get some decent pictures. Maybe another time. Anyway, something is not right with the camera again. Surely, it couldn't have had something to do with dropping it on it's head for the 5th time. All features but one, are of use.

Time for a new one, ya think?

I shudder to see the condition of our yard. You certainly can tell that Bill has not had the time, nor I, with my issues, to get some major yardwork done. Maybe tomorrow, if it doesn't rain again. I see the little darlings have my cherry trees nipped down. I would imagine, no cherries again, this year. And just when I thought it was high enough to remove the fence. My mistake.

Enjoy our deer, as we gallivant to distant places to pick up our toy. While in the vicinity, we will also gather hugs and kisses from a few of our distant GrandLoves again. We never, ever, tire of hugs and kisses from our wee ones.

I will also be checking on my daughter, who got kicked in the back and the back of her knee by one of the boarders in the horse corral. She says she is fine, but bruising looks like a rainbow. I have to see for myself. In the meantime, tuck her in your prayers. It's a 'mom' thing to worry.

Thank you so much for stopping and

BlessYourHearts

Best Spent 5/Project & Fun Stuff

A few entries prior, I showed you this $5.oo adjustable rake that expands from 7.5 inches to 25 inches wide. My first thought was that it could not be all bad being Black & Decker, but it was so cheap, so of course, I'm thinking it wouldn't be worth it.The orange section holds a latch at the back that secures the rake into place at whatever width you wish to rake with.
I have to admit to being a bit skeptical at it's ability to hold up to the pressure sometimes applied doing simple raking. Of course, being such a beautiful spring day, (our first actually), I had to put it to the test.
Was I ever pleasantly surprised. I used it at several widths and it never failed me once. At mid-width, it even worked quite well to scoop and pile the smallest balsam and spruce cones without loosing them. Even at it's narrowest point, the handle was still long enough that I did not have to bend down, something that is difficult with metal in my back. I was impressed. It raked easily and did not feel flimsy. I'm actually going to get another one for DH. I'm sure he will appreciate me. LOL
Once a few flower beds were cleaned out, I decided it was still too nice to go inside for more than a glass of water. Out I came with a bag full of plants that still needed to go into the ground. Directions read that the ground should be at least 50 degrees before planting any of these. They went in anyway, even tho a bit cool yet, but I've never had bad luck with them before. I'm sure I have planted them in much colder ground than todays. We have such a small window to garden in up north in our zone 3, that we tend to take a chance once in awhile. Today, more Stargazer Lilies, Black Hollyhocks, Deep Bluebeard Iris, and Luxuriant Bleeding Hearts were hugged with fertile soil. Now, to pray they grow.

Ben and his Daddy were tooling round and round the driveway when Ben says, "Look Grandma, I can do it all by myself."
Way to go Ben, Good job. It sure didn't take him long to get the hang of it. Look at that 'tongue of concentration,' waggle. His chin was soaking wet, as well as the neck of his jacket.
During a break yesterday, I found this cool idea for an interesting garden feature in an old issue of Country Gardens. I love this. I think I will revisit the garage sale items before discarding them. The tower is made with glass and metal vases. jars, lanterns, globes, mismatched glasses, etc. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Let's see what you come up with.
This perfect day of weather was finished with a perfect sunset. The sky is promising more glorious spring is finally on its way...., that is, after tonights rains.
Nothing can spoil my good humor tonight, for I finally feel invigorated again. Digging my hands in Mother Earth must have been the ticket to my smile. I ache all over, but it's a good ache, for the most part. The sun touched my face and it's warmth gave me hope again.

I pray you find a piece of sunshine in your bit of heaven.

BlessYourHeart and ThanksForComingByAndMakingMyDayBright

There Is Hope Afterall

Look at all the surprises I found as I walked the yard today.

There was snow on the ground when we left for our busy weekend.

We drove home in the rain.

There were flurries again, yesterday.

But, this morning? Well, in spite of 50 degree weather that felt like 12 degrees with the bitter wind, there was hope all around the yard.

Have you guessed yet what this first photo is? I'll let you think about it.
It looks like I will have Grape Hyacinths after all.
Everything is carefully, slowly poking their noses out of the cold ground, like these Giant Deep Purple Delphiniums, my favorites of this bed.
The Irises took a hard hit of frost as you can see by the tip of this one, far right.
My Great Grandmother T's Monkshood are coming along slow but fine. These came off of her homestead far north of here about 40 yrs. ago, and then into my flower bed just 12 yrs. ago. They are gorgeous.
The Salvia is coming after a hard hit on her first leaves, and will survive.
While still filling the feeders heavily during our cold snaps, the deer dropped my birdbath basin to the frozen ground and broke it. I knew I shouldn't have brought it out so early. A little clay and it will be good as new, when it finally warms up.
Uncle Bob's Allium will soon show large lavender heads as large as a baseball. For now, I am enjoying their 'green.'
I did loose a few things, or perhaps it's just too soon for the Silver Lace Vine to show it's promise. I hope so, for it is new to my garden, growing nearly 20 ft. long it's first year with it's spindly vines. I hope they enlarge with moisture and blooms.
The Queen of the Prairie is usually my first out of the ground after the Hyacinths and the Tulips. Not this year. No matter how harsh the winters, they always put on many show-stopping plumes.
Well, well, well, lookie here. We may just get one tulip. I hope it's one of the ruffled yellow and orange ones. As for those little Snow On the Mt., they will soon overflow this bed for they cannot be destroyed. Not because I haven't tried, but because they are so very invasive. So, they are welcome to stay as long as they wish.
There are several patches of a variety of Phlox throughout the deck gardens. They are so scented in the evening air. I love late nights on the deck for that very reason, oh, and to star-gaze.
One needs strength of iron to divide these so, regrettably, my Rhubarb is coming up bolting. There will be much rhubarb for pie, in spite of it's neglect.
The only perennials with a healthy start are these ordinary Ditch Lilies. I still love them even tho they can be found anywhere., even in the swamp. These are enjoying southern exposure.
As I run my hands across the Bee Balm, it already heaves it's intoxicating scent. No wonder the deer leave it alone. I, however, love it.
The Autumn Joy Sedum also puts on an endless show in the fall leaving wonderful winter interest with it's large red heads.

I am ready, so ready for the warm air and colors of the seasons, that is, except the color of winter.
Six months from now, my attitude will change once again. Naaaa!

Thanks for strolling with me. I love to hear from you. I'm forgetting some names of these plants so if I did them wrong, please correct me.

I will not hold it against you, but thank you instead.

BlessYourHearts

Perfect Weekend

It was a beautiful end to a beautiful weekend. Oh, I'm not speaking about the weather. We all know it snowed again, but nothing could spoil the purpose of our weekend trip.Our GrandLove, Ryele Kay, took her 1st Communion Sunday. She is our little angel of the hour as she carefully reads her prayer book.
By the time we were all back to the house, there were still more pictures to be taken. Poor Ryele was being so cooperative for her Grannies and Aunties.
Even her Mommy was having a hard time holding the pose, all wide-eyed with sleepy Ryele beginning to lean after a very long mass and morning.
O.K., Just ONE last smile please.
"Are we done, my face hurts! Maybe my cousins will smile, Grandma!"
By golly, they did. Thanks guys.
Ryele's 1st Communion was the number one purpose of our road trip this past weekend, but

as long as we were there, we decided to make the trip two-fold. After all, we are 2 hours from the nearest larger city.

We stayed our first night at our daughters with the little troopers on the stairs. Their daddy, is an auto salesman so we decided to have him see what he could do for us. Well, he did a very fine job.

We pick up our new vehicle this coming weekend, so, sorry folks, but this particular part of the weekend is ' to be continued~~~' No more hints, no nuttin'

Thanks for stopping and catching a glimpse of our weekend.

Til you're better paid...

BlessYourHearts